


Rose-Colored Boy

by laundry_day



Series: After Laughter [1]
Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Figure Skater Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Hockey Player Seo Youngho | Johnny, Lee Donghyuck and Mark Lee Are Siblings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-01-23 18:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18555484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laundry_day/pseuds/laundry_day
Summary: As much as Donghyuck had convinced himself and everyone else that he was mostly fearless, even he had to admit that, really, more things scared him than didn't. Thunderstorms, test scores, missed calls from his mom, and people above the height of 5'10 were all off limits (people who were 5'10 were okay, of course). His fear of mildly tall people was really the one and only reason Donghyuck was petrified of the hockey team he shared the rink with, seeing as all of the players were above said height. Needless to say, he was starting to regret not just joining club skating.





	1. Hey Man (We Can't All Be Like You)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! This is my first post on here, so I'm quite nervous, but I hope you enjoy this. I've wanted to start a series on here for a while, so I hope this goes as well as I'd planned. The titles from this series will all be songs from the Paramore album "After Laughter", and the chapter titles are all lyrics from the song used in the title. This is the first in a series that I have kind out around said album, so please enjoy!
> 
> Thank you!

     As much as Donghyuck had convinced himself and everyone else that he was mostly fearless, even he had to admit that, really, more things scared him than didn't. Thunderstorms, test scores, missed calls from his mom, and people above the height of 5'10 were all off limits (people who were 5'10 were okay, of course). His fear of mildly tall people was really the one and only reason Donghyuck was petrified of the hockey team he shared the rink with, seeing as all of the players were above said height. Needless to say, he was starting to regret not just joining club skating.

     The argument from his parents for him to go to college, which, mind you, was something Donghyuck found very pointless, was that it would be cheaper to go instead of paying for private lessons or a club team. Plus, he could kill two birds with one stone because he'd get a college education and be able to figure skate. On the other hand, Donghyuck had always said that if he really _did_ have the potential to become an Olympic athlete, why did he need to go to college, anyway (he always left out the fact that Olympic athletes didn't make much money - his parents didn't need to know that)? However, his parents wouldn't budge and instead insisted he take up the scholarship that he'd tried to hide so that no one would see it. of course, his parents found it anyway.

     So, there was Donghyuck with his duffel bag, walking to the locker room for the first time during his first year of college. He didn't want to admit it, but he was far more scared than what was probably socially acceptable. His _dad_ was 5'10, so why were tall people still as scary as they were when he was five (not that he'd kept the same fear from over thirteen years ago; that would just be petty)?

     In the end, Dongyuck was just happy none of his fellow figure skaters were particularly tall. Rumor had it that there was a guy on the team who was only 5'6, which Donghyuck refused to believe until he actually met him (the original name he'd told Donghyuck sounded like some foreign language gibberish, but he eventually found out he just went by Ten). It also just happened that his practice ended a whole thirty minutes before those damned hockey players even arrived in the locker rooms, which Donghyuck was very much grateful for. He didn't express it though, just to avoid suspicion from his teammates. Overall, for a whole month, thirty days of pure bliss, everything worked out just as planned.

     Until Donghyuck stayed late.

     It wasn't _really_ his fault. At least, that was what he had told himself so he didn't feel as bad. He and the coach had been so caught up in him finally landing that God-forsaken axel that they hadn't realized they'd gone over. That was until the boys' hockey team walked in looking very much confused but also very much intrigued. Donghyuck had panicked and left the moment his coach dismissed him, seemingly having forgotten that the hockey team had also gone into the locker room.

    He'd only ever seen the team from afar, but _G_ _od_  were they scary up close. They all looked like they could accidentally (or not-so-accidentally, Donghyuck wasn't sure) crush him with a single swing of their stick. He didn't even think it was possible to feel as short as they made him feel, but apparently, it was a common thing for anyone who was cursed with hanging out with the boys' hockey team.

     It sounded like a nightmare.

     Once Donghyuck had put his fears to the back of his mind and walked the long trek to his locker, he couldn't help but notice the fact that pretty much all of the team's players were looking at him. Well, wasn't that just _peachy?_   The way they looked at him seemed like they were disappointed, which was not a look Donghyuck liked much, so he changed so fast he probably should have timed it for a world record and then booked it out of the locker room. 

     -

     After his probably life-threatening experience, Donghyuck vowed to never stay late at practice in somewhat of an attempt to avoid getting crushed by six-foot-tall hockey players. His actions proved futile when, two weeks into the preseason, the figure skating coach announced that the skaters were holding a mandatory workshop for the hockey team. Donghyuck mostly tuned out the rest of the speech out of pure shock and mild rebellion, but he was pretty sure it was something about how they would be teaching footwork and working in groups. 

     Donghyuck relished in the number of people who seemed to not like the idea, hoping they could mutiny and just not do it, but it turned out everyone was just opposed because they couldn't choose their own groups.

     So, no mutiny, but maybe he could make some excuse. Like, maybe he could see into future, and he just _knew_ that he'd be sick that day. Eventually, he decided that even he himself wouldn't buy any of his excuses, let alone his coach, so he gave up and accepted defeat. 

     -

     The players were even scarier in their uniforms than Donghyuck had even thought possible. He thought they looked quite similar to someone who would break his car with a hockey stick than anything, but he couldn't escape his impending doom, so he just had to accept it. 

     His teaching partner was Lee Taeyong, the bubblegum-haired third year whose boyfriend just so happened to be on the hockey team _and_ in Donghyuck's workshop group, which was really just the icing on the cake. The fact that Taeyong didn't feel the need to demonstrate  _anything_ , just eagerly watch his boy toy (Jae-something, Donghyuck couldn't actually remember) and compliment him for things as simple breathing. Donghyuck supposed that the sweet talk helped make the giant that was Jae-something seem less intimidating, but in all actuality, it might have just made him scarier. 

     Also in the group were Seo Johnny and Wong Yukhei, both of which were somehow taller than Jae-something and all the more scary. It didn't help that both were exchange students, so neither he nor Taeyong could understand either of them very well. That led to Donghyuck yelling a correction and then having to explain it using hand motions and the two words of either English or Chinese that he knew.    

    "Make sure you keep your foot tucked in on that turn," he said to Johnny, temporarily forgetting his very limited Korean vocabulary. Well, he did remember once he saw Johnny's very confused expression, to which Donghyuck then said, " _in foot, uh, turn. yeah?"_   in terrible English. Johnny looked even more confused, but he nodded anyway and Donghyuck was too tired of Taeyong not doing anything to care whether Johnny understood or not. 

     At least he tried.

     Overall, the experience was marked number three on Donghyuck's list of things he would never want to do again, just behind changing in the locker room with anyone on a hockey team and eating Mark's cooking. Number four was, of course, partnering up with Taeyong, which was even more hellish than missing a call from his mother. 

     Basically, that was the day Lee Donghyuck vowed to never become friends with Lee Taeyong or a hockey player. Ever.

 


	2. I Know (We Can't All Be Like You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second time Donghyuck was plagued with meeting the hockey team was definitely not his fault. In fact, it was a certain Lee Mark's fault, all because Donghyuck was too antisocial for his liking. 
> 
> Donghyuck would get him back eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long it took to post this, I've had a lot going on recently. I really appreciate the comments and kudos, they're a huge motivator to continue writing! I hope you enjoy!

     The second time Donghyuck was plagued with meeting the hockey team was definitely not his fault. In fact, it was a certain Lee Mark's fault, all because Donghyuck was too antisocial for his liking. 

     It all started when Donghyuck walked into Mark's dorm room and very unceremoniously plopped on his brother's bed. 

     "You won't believe what coach made me do today!" he started, and even though he could tell Mark wasn't listening in the slightest, he kept going anyway. "First, I was partnered with Taeyong, which isn't that bad, but his stupid boyfriend was in our group, so he wouldn't help me!"

     "Look, Hyuck, I totally care, but I have homework to do, and your complaining isn't helping me," Mark cut in. 

     Donghyuck had the heart to look offended before pouting and continuing anyway.

     "Markie, you can't brush off your favorite brother like that! You need to help me get new friends since you're always talking about how good your's are," he said.

      Mark smirked. "Whatever you say, Hyuck."

\----------

     When Mark had said that his friends were having a "study party" or whatever he'd called it, Donghyuck had kind of assumed all of them to be mildly awkward and way too focused on their studies. As it turned out, that scoundrel was friends with the exact kind of people Donghyuck hated - tall people. 

     It was far more surprising than it really should have been because Mark wasn't  _that_ awkward. Donghyuck knew his brother was perfectly capable of making friends, just not friends who were on the hockey or basketball or whatever sports team. Definitely not I'm-scared-to-get-B's-on-tests-so-I-study-my-life-away Mark. No way. Not in a million years.

     Apparently, it  _had_ been a million years, because when Donghyuck followed Mark into someone's apartment, all the way-too-tall people recognized him and gave him bro hugs like they'd been friends for years and not what had probably only been a few weeks. Of course, Donghyuck recognized a few too, like Johnny and Jae-something. However, he didn't recognize most of the people there, like the really loud one in the corner terrorizing what looked like someone from the skating team, but Donghyuck wasn't sure. He wanted to save whoever it was, but it looked like he was too far gone, even laughing at the taller one's jokes to protect himself. Donghyuck figured he should probably try to do that too.

    While he was busy formulating his plan on how to either survive or escape the apartment, Jae-something walked himself and his long legs over to Mark and him. 

     "Wow, Mark. No one said you were bringing a date along," he said.

     Mark sputtered a bit while Donghyuck awkwardly patted his back. "He's my brother, Jae," Mark said once he'd finally stopped choking.

     Jae-something immediately turned red all the way to his ears, and Donghyuck was having a very hard time stifling his laugh at the taller's embarrassment. The redness didn't necessarily suit him, but it helped make him a lot less intimidating, at least to Donghyuck. 

     "Fuck, I'm sorry, man," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Then, he turned to Donghyuck and said, "Uh, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jaehyun."

     Donghyuck wasn't sure what he meant by 'nice to meet you' seeing as he vividly remembered Jaehyun being in his workshop group, but he played along anyway. "Nice to meet you too," he replied. When a block of silence followed his words, he quickly said, "I'll just, uh, head over to the kitchen."

     There was a goodbye from Jaehyun and Mark, and then Donghyuck was off to the kitchen to avoid anymore awkward conversations with people he didn't know. Lucky for him, the brick-wall that was Seo Johnny was standing right in the middle of the kitchen. _So_ lucky.

     "Oh, hi! It's Donghyuck, right?" Johnny said when he saw Donghyuck, his pronunciation slightly better than it was two weeks ago. "Remember me from the workshop? I'm Johnny."

     "Yeah, uh, I remember you," Donghyuck mumbled, curling in on himself half out of fear and half in an attempt to slink away. Johnny kept talking, though, weird accent and all.  

     "Sorry about not understanding last week, I'm still working on my Korean," he said sheepishly, and Donghyuck was way too surprised by his apology to do anything other than nod. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble. It wasn't right?"

     The question seemed to snap Donghyuck out of whatever Johnny-related trance he was in and he immediately nodded, saying, "No, no. Really, it was fine. No trouble at all."

     "Oh, good!" Johnny said, his facing seemingly lighting up at Donghyuck's words. "Do you want anything to drink? There's water in the fridge," he continued, turning around to open it.

     "I'm fine. Thanks though," Donghyuck replied. The whole conversation was starting to get confusing. Since when was anyone taller than him  _nice?_ Apparently, Johnny Seo was. Donghyuck figured that maybe Johnny knew about his very, very rational fear and was trying to exploit it by being nice and then randomly turning mean when Donghyuck started to trust him.

     "Oh, I already poured a cup from the Brita. Ten won't let anyone else touch it but him and me," Johnny said.

     Okay, so, maybe Johnny wasn't exploiting him, but that didn't explain why Ten, the only person Donghyuck had ever met that was scared of fruit, trusted him. Donghyuck figured he'd have to find out later, because he was snapped out of his second Johnny-related trance by Mark's voice yelling that he forgot he had homework and they needed to leave "right now if you don't want me to take your secret stash of Recess Pieces." 

     Begrudgingly, Donghyuck followed his very panicked brother out of whoever's apartment (not without a very mumbled, very quiet thank you and goodbye to Johnny). 

     Who knew, maybe sharing the rink with the hockey team wouldn't be that bad if Johnny was there to pour him cups of Brita water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos appreciated! Also, please leave ideas for further prompts in the series. I hope to use some of your ideas in later writings!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.


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